Community Partners Receive VA Funds to Fight Vet Homelessness

Late last year, we announced Veteran homelessness was down 12 percent in 2011, largely thanks to the efforts of community partners to intervene before Veterans and their families ended up on the street. Rather than declaring victory in the find to end homelessness, we’ve continued to invest in programs and partners to get that number down to zero.

This week, a new round of funding—nearly $100 million—got pushed to 151 community agencies in 49 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The agencies will look to serve 42,000 homeless Vets, as well as those at risk of becoming homeless.

Like last year, this release of funds to community partners will focus on keeping Vets and their families from becoming homeless in the first place. From McClatchy:

The grants announced Tuesday are part of a VA initiative that partners with private non-profits and consumer groups to provide services for veterans and their families in – or transitioning to – permanent housing.

The program is a new approach to ending homelessness among veterans. It focuses on prevention, quickly securing housing and keeping families together.

The grants will boost outreach and case management efforts, as well as help Vets cover rent, utilities, and moving fees.

If you’re a homeless Veteran or family member, or at risk of becoming homeless, please give our help line a call at 1-877-4AID-VET (1-877-424-3838), and visit our homeless Veteran site for more information on housing assistance, health care options, and more.

Comments

How do we get help we are at risk of losing our home due to illegal predatory loan we are in and the judge said they can proceed with the foreclosure. We can’t afford a lawyer, had one but the messed up the case. They are stealing our home and we can’t find help anywhere, no one wants to help. I called over to the VAMC and was not given any help, they should have done an intake and helped me out more, this second time I have asked for help from them, they are social workers who are supposed to be helping Veterans. Seems they only want to help those already homeless and men.
I am Disabled Veteran and my partner is a Veteran. The banks are getting away with throwing people out of their homes for illegal stuff they did and people think we are just being deadbeats far from true. Right from the beginning I tired to get a loan modification and given the run around by BOA and tired, was told to claim Bankruptcy, still they didn’t want to help, then I get served a lawsuit by Mellon who I never knew they had anything to do with our loan.
Anyway, how can we stay in our home, who is going to help us??? I have contacted so many and either don’t hear back or no they can’t help. We are scared and no one stepping up to help, I am begging and begging for help…. HELP US we have no where to go and with a foreclosure we won’t be able to rent. please stop turning your backs on us and help. Someone needs to go after these banks they are killing is in the courtrooms. I asked Mellon to work with us. We would have done things differently if we knew, we would have sold, done other things. Now we are behind a lot, the house is worth less, we will never get out from under. Please please please….

At the bottom there is info on HOPE NOW Alliance: If VA is not able to help a Veteran borrower retain his/her home (whether a VA-guaranteed loan or not), the
HOPE NOW Alliance may be of assistance. HOPE NOW is a joint alliance consisting of servicers, counselors, and investors whose main goal is to assist distressed borrowers retain their homes and avoid foreclosure. They have expertise in financial counseling, as well as programs that take advantage of relief measures that VA cannot. HOPE Now provides outreach, counseling and assistance to homeowners who have the willingness and ability to keep their homes but are facing financial difficulty as a result of the crisis in the mortgage market. The HOPE NOW Alliance can be reached at (888) 995-HOPE (888-995-4673) or by visiting http://hopenow.com/

We have recently fallen on hard times. My husband served in the Army for over 7 years and was injured in an Oil Refinery in 2009. He has not been cleared by workman’s comp doctors to return to work. His W.C. benefits and state disability benefits have run out and now we are unable to pay rent and are at risk of becoming homeless. We called the 1-800-4AID-Vet number to ask for assistance, and they were quick to respond, but they were also quick to tell my husband that they “cannot help unless WE ARE HOMELESS.” Can anyone offer me advice as to why even the web page says if you are at risk of becoming homeless, to give the number a call and they will be able to help. I find it rather strange that the VA is lying to Veterans when they say if that are AT RISK of becoming homeless the VA can help. Any advice as to how to break this system, would be great. Thanks in advance!

Why would they wait for you to become homeless. I would think it makes more sense to fix the problem before it magnifest into something twice as bad. When someone offers help, it should be offered before it reaches the state of homelessness, not to mention why would they even want to see someone homeless in the first place. It kind of like the va home loan, im a payment behind and when i contact our bank they want to modify the loan and add it back in which in return will make our payments go up. Thats stupid , we cant make the original payment on time why would we be able to make a payment if its higher. I asked if they could add it to the back end of the loan and they said no. , My credit isnt very good because of this 1payment. Does anyone know if I was told something incorrect?? Wish you the best of luck.

Agreed Mike! We have recently found out that in order to receive any housing or rental assistance from the VA there are 2 qualifications that you must meet. 1- you must be homeless for a year! But if you become homeless, you will be placed on a waiting list and they say that they will put you up in a hotel, but who really knows if that is true, especially after they lied to begin with. I don’t know about everyone else, but after I am lied to, I tend not to believe a word the non-truth teller speaks to me. And my favorite qualification #2- In order to to become a priority on that wait list mentioned in # 1, you MUST be an alcoholic or drug addict! NOT A WORD OF LIE! It blows my mind that they are more willing to place people with addictions into a home that they, will more likely than not, loose or destroy due to their addictions over a family that includes a disabled veteran, a child that has Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy and a child that has OCD. In reality, our son has no choice but to be addicted to his medications (yes he HAS TO take more than 1) because if he chooses to live his life drug free he will definitely have violent tonic-clonic seizures and die, just like a drug addict or alcoholic would if they choose to become sober cold turkey. RIDICULOUS! So here we are, July 31, 2012 I am guesstimating we have 6 days until we receive our 5 day pay or quit notice…. And we have about $300 to our name! Keep our family in your prayers as we do all others that are in need of help!

Mike, my husband almost fell off the couch when I told him of your situation. Credit has NEVER made any sense to me. People with poor credit, receive higher rates making it almost impossible to make a payment, so therefore they become delinquent on yet another account. We will keep you in our prayers!